LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 4 August 1921, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Eleven Christchurch shops and premises fronting Colombo Street were sold last week for £45,950.

Mr. C. G. Fry, o-f Adelaide (S.A.), representing Messrs. J. and N. Tait, is at present in New Plymouth arranging matters connected with the forthcoming concert of the Cherniavsky trio or instrumentalists.

“We have been promised a dairy school for a very long time, but, so far, nothing has eventuated,” remarked Mr. R. Dunn (Taranaki) at the conference of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union. On Mr. Dunn’s motion, the following remit was carried: “That the time has arrived when a dairy school should be established in the Dominion.” Writes an ex-Patea boy to the local Press from Sydney:—The papers here are very up-to-date with their sporting news. The day the Springboks played Taranaki I was going home at 10 minutes past five and on my way to the ferry boat purchased a paper with the result of the match in. I expect I knew the result across the Tasman almost as soon as you did in Patea. Travellers through Taranaki speak of the wonderful signs of prosperity visible on every side and the entire absence of anything, in the nature of a slump (says an exchange). This is not to be wondered at when the amount received by the farmers for butter-fat during the past, season is taken into consideration. The Rahotu Dairy Company’s balancesheet show# a payment of 2/8A per lb. for butter-fat and the Moa Company’s 2/7|. With reference to the matter of securing a continuous telephone service in Elthtim, the local Chamber of Commerce is receiving a very satisfactory response to its recently issued circular (says the Argus). Country subscribers to the telephone appear to be pleased with the proposition, and several have written to the secretary of the Chamber of Commerce expressing their willingness to pay the extra fee.

The damage sustained to Messrs. W. R. Leighton and Sons’ furniture manufacturing premises in Tuesday night’s fire is estimated at about £2O. No estimate has yet been made 1 of the damage to the stock. The insurance on the building is in the Norwich Office, a policy for £350 covering that and another building in the same block. The stock is insured for £225 in the Standard Of-

The cost of bringing the Springbok; to' New Zealand to play about twent; matches' is estimated to be betweei £12,000 and £14,000. It is interestin’ to compare this with the cost of th. All Black tour of the United Kingdom France and America in 1005. The tota receipts outside New Zealand and, Aus tralia were £14,071. and the expendi ture was £6003. Thirty-three matche were played in the United Kingdon and France. An English Tooth Brush and larg. tube of Tooth Paste 4/6 post free.— Abram, “Shop by Post” chemist, Nev

Opposums are reported to be vc-y numerous in the neighborhood of Lake Waikaremoana at the present time. The General Manager of Bailways (Mr. R. W. McVilly) has written to the Stratford Chamber of Commerce stating that the acceleration of the speed of the Wellington-New Plymouth mail train was not possible owing to the nature of the line under existing conditions. The only means of c. ecting any material improvement would be by eliminating stopping places. It would not be possible to use greater haulage power. The curves, bridges and gradients were against the putting on of heavier engines. An example of what a keen footballer can do to help his side was afforded in Taranaki yesterday. One of the members of the Canterbury team missed the boat at Lyttelton on Monday night, but nothing daunted he caught a cargo boat that happened to be leaving the same evening, signed on as second purser, and reached Wellington in time to catch the Main Trunk express on Tuesday night for Marton, from where he motored through to Wanganui. Yesterday morning he caught the early train at Wanganui and arrived at Hawera before noon in time to play a fine game for his team, and incidentally to relieve the mind of the manager, who had prepared to take his place in the team.

The duty of Christians in New Zealand toward the Maoris was emphasised by Dr. A. W. Averill, Anglican Bishop of Auckland, in the course of his sermon at St. Mary’s Cathedral on Sunday. He said there were 22,000 Maoris in his diocese—a care which pressed heavily upon him. When he came to the diocese the Maori clergy were receiving the miserable pittance of £75 per annum. ' This was now raised to £125, largely by the contributions of the Maoris themselves. This year, owing to the depreciation in the 'value of stock and wool, the income of £lOOO from the trustees of the H. and W. Williams estate must be reduced to £,500, and the bishop appealed to churchmen to make good this deficiency, so Luat stipends should not suffer.

The upward movement in the butter and cheese markets is a very good thing for New Zealand as a whole, 'since it means that the dairy industry will be able again to counteract to some extent the financial effects of the slump in the wool and meat markets (says the Wellington Dominion). But the rise in export values is going to involve the local consumers in paying an increased price for butter. The subsidy of 2d per lb. now being paid -by the Government on I butter sold for local consumption will not be continued after the end of this month, and the local price will then require to be fixed on a basis of export value. The offer of; 2s Id per lb. f.o.b. represents a local retail price, cash over the counter, of not less than 2s 4d per lb. The merchant’s and retailers believe that the margin ought to be larger, and they are likely to renew their agitation on this point as soon ns the producer gets a completely free market. The Government will not interfere with export values, but it will retain soma control of profits made between the factory and the consumer within New Zealand.

“The Nature of Economic Progress” was th? subject chosen by Mr. Bottrill for the fourteenth of his series of lectures to the W.E.A., at the Technical College on Thursday last. At the conclusion of the lecture, Mr. Nash, who has lately returned from the Old Country, was invited to givd an outline of the guild system which is proving so popular there. The speaker was emphatically of opinion' that the system was proving distinctly advantageous, not only to the members of the guilds, but also to the general public. Workmen were encouraged to give of their best, and took a distinct pride in their work. Under the ordinary system a bricklayer might lay three * hundred and fifty bricks a day and consider he had worked well, while under the guild system somewhere in the neighbourhood of 600 bricks a day .was the average number laid. Carpenters working under this system could build an ordinary cottage for something like £l5O less than could the carpenters outside the system.

Some surprise may be expressed at Mr. Coates’ decision to go round by Taranaki instead of continuing the. road to Wellington through the centre of the island (says the Auckland Star, commenting upon the new reading policy). His choice, however, is wise. He realises that his means are limited, and he intends to make use of th? fact that there, is already a good road from Wellington to New Plymouth. In his opinion it is better to connect Wellington with Auckland by a route which, while longer, will entail less work. A similar argument was used by those who, before the direct railway route was chosen, contended that the Stratford route, connecting the railway system of the Waikato with the Wellington-Taranaki system, should be followed. A main road from Te Kuiti to Waitara will bring Auckland into touch with the rich territories of Taranaki and the Mokau district.

A senseless and costly practical joke that may prove expensive to its perpetrators was enacted on Friday evening last at Ngahauranga. Wellington, when a steam roller (used for work upon the Hutt Road), with banked fires, was deliberately set in motion by some person unknown, and allowed to crash down , the road and into the Ngahauranga Stream. As the roller, which weighs about five tons, had to plunge over a bank and down a sharp declivity into the stream, it was considerably dam.aged in front, though the roller itself was not injured. There was an element of stupid cruelty, too, in the act, for there happened to be a dog tied to one of the big wheels, and, as the rope was short, the animal was lifted into the air with each revolution of the wheel and then thrown violently to th l ' ground. The police and city authori ties are inquiring closely into the mat tor.

The Purity Products Co., TTawer; manufacturers of the well-know “Fairy Wonder” washing powder, “S mis” milking machine cleanser, sod crystals, Lancashire “belt conditioner. “Wonder” radiator compound, “Non skale” boiler composition, etc., announc that their products may be obtaine through all wholesale merchants through out the Dominion. In this issue, Newton King, Ltd., ad vertisjc for sale by auction two well situated sections, overlooking the Eas (End beach. Smokers’ Requisites.—We have lea rue what Taranaki smokers like. an: 1 , on stocks of pipes have been selected t Meet all requirements. All shapes o Loewe, Civic. Imperial, Dunhill and othe excellent briars; also nice line of Ropp cherry-woods. In tobaccos, cigar ettes and cigars our stocks are unbeaten —W. H. Preece, Tobacconist, Devoi Street Central, New Plymouth.

“A little bit of heaven, a little bit of earth, and a little bit of hell,” is, according to a definition given by the Rev. J. K. Archer, in the course of a W.E.A. address in Timaru, involved in the ownership of land. A witness in an assault case at the Rangiora Magistrate’s Court, in answer to a question why he had taken out a prohibition order against himself if he was not a drinking man, said he did it to stop people asking him to go into hotels.

To-day, August 4, is the seventh anniversary of Great Britain’s declaration of war on Germany. It was two days’ previously (August 2), when Britain sent the ultimatum "to Germany. Ultimatums by other Powers followed German troops entered Brussels on August 20, and the battla of Mons began on August 23. A southern exchange records that 'Mr. Jack Doull, of Winton, was living in a hut on Mr. Kidd’s farm near Nightcaps, and was comfortably seated by the fire, when a cyclone caught the building and hurled it over and over agadn. The roof eventually came off, Mr. Doull escaping but not before receiving several nasty bruises. The fire ignited the building and completely destroyed it.

The sum of £l5OO was taken at the gates at the Athletic Park, Wellington, on the day of the Springboks’ match, in addition to which a considerable number of tickets sold in town prior to the match have yet to be accounted for. Including the sales from reserve tickets in the stand, it is expected that the total receipts will approximate £2BOO. —Dominion. Without opposition, the conference of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union carried the following remit from Taranaki:—“That this conference is opposed to the establishment of a State Bank, but is of opinion that some form of cooperative agricultural banking, suitable to conditions in New Zealand, should be instituted as speedily as possible.” New Zealand is justly famed throughout the world for the conspicuous sue cesses of many of its breeders of horses, cattle, sheep, etc. That there is yet another avenue open for still further laurels to be won is evidenced by the following advertisement appearing in a recent issue of the Berkeley (California) Daily Gazette: “Tan thoroughbred New Zealand rabbits; two bucks, two does, and six young. Bargain for lOdols. or will exchange for chickens.”

Information has reached New Zealand that a big libel action is pending against a powerful London newspaper proprietary in connection with statements published during the early stages of the wor, which are alleged by certain inhabitants of Antwerp to be defamatory. The statements were contained in nn article contributed by M“iss Louise Mack, who is at present in Palmerston North, entitled, “Spies I have met.”

That interest should be paid by banks on current accounts was the view taken by delegates to the New Zealand Farmers’ Union Conference last week. The following remit from Otago was carried: “That as the practice or leaving money on deposit at call with commercial firms has grown up largely because the banks do not pay interest on credit balances, and the evils of the practice have been made apparent by the recent enactment of a moratorium covering these deposits, this conference considers ihat steps should be taken to bring pressure to bear to compel the Bank of New Zealand to pay reasonable interest on current accounts, as is done in other countries. If this were done, other banks would have to fall into line and the practice referred to above would be minimised.”

Peanuts, silk, a. pair of old boots, and a box of pig-iron! What a fine mixture to import in one case from China! Needless to say, the firm which received the case did not expect the miscellaneous collection. According to the invoice, the case contained silk, and from outward appearances it did not look as though it had been tampered with. The wire round the case was intact, but, all the same, several pieces of silk had been stolen. The case was double-lined, and apparently every precaution had been taken to prevent pillaging, all to no purpose. ,In this particular instance, it seems as though the theft must taken place in China before the goods were shipped to New Zealand. Pillaging as practised nowadays presents some interesting problems .

In this issue are advertised some very fine dairying propositions’ under the name of Measrn. Fairbrother and Pickeiing. This firm have a great rang* of properties on their books

The Melbourne. Ltd., report a brisk demand for the splendid line of men’s eaddle tweed trousers offering at 29/6. Without exaggeration there has not been such a bargain in men’s solid wearing trousers as these for several years. Come and see them. They are great. The Taranaki Investment and Deposit Corporation, Ltd., advertise in this issue increased rates which it is prepared to pay for deposits. Investors will note with interest that deposits at call will in future be interest bearing. The attention of stock-owners is invited to an advertisement in this issue by the New Zealand Cattlecake and Oil Co., Ltd., who are linseed oil and meal manufacturers.